As the police service is an integral part of society, analysis of issues of religious diversity concerning visible minority ethnic police personnel in the workplace cannot be considered in isolation; an examination of issues relevant to the analysis should also consider the context of the police service’s approach to racial diversity.

Equally, as theconstructional nature of ethnicity includes religious identity, one must also examine the impact of religious identity on ethnicity. This literature survey will, therefore, refer to all these issues as well as focusing on the police service’s response to multi-racial issues, including the policing of twentieth century racial conflicts.

As the thesis focuses primarily on religious diversity within the police service, this literature survey consequently introduces the nature of the police service’s response to issues of racial diversity by examining various reports, which refer to the police service. Many of these earlier reports concern the police’s approach to racial disturbances, whereas the more recent reports, which are also examined, offer recommendations concerning the police response to racial diversity in contemporary situations.